Chinchón

Chinchón, a town 45 km southeast of the capital city of Madrid in the Autonomous

Community of Madrid, is one of the destinations in the region that most tourist attractions

offer. The first historical origins of Chinchón date back to Prehistory times as the

archaeological discoveries in the Tajuña basin reveal; it is worth mentioning the remains

of an Iberian city with a necropolis in the so-called Cerro del Salitral, and Roman

occupation afterwards. The irrigation system indicates Arab influence as well. With the

conquest in 1960 by Fernando I El Magno, and the subsequent reconquest by Alfonso VI

in 1082, the town would be out of Arab rule and linked to the City of Segovia until 1480.

It is then when the Catholic Monarchs are to award the Lordship of Chinchón to the

Marquis de Moya. In 1520 the second son of the Marquis was honored by Carlos I with

the title of Count of Chinchón.

During the War of Independence (1808-1814), French troops devastate the town killing

many neighbors. The painter Francisco de Goya, who lived in the town at the time,

reflects this tragedy on his drawings. On the back of one of his original drawings, No. 37

from the Disasters of War Series, he wrote “El de Chinchón”. Chinchón is going to show

great progress towards mid-19th-century when the “Society of Harvesters” was

established in the Borough. In 1916, Alfonso XIII grants Chinchón the title of City, and it

is declared Historic Artistic Site in 1974.

As we go through the website we will get to know all the city’s most attractive spots. To

cap our journey we’d better not miss some of Chinchón traditional dishes such as garlic

soup, the homemade pastries from Clarisas nuns as desert, and the well-known Anís de

Chinchón (sweet anisette liquor). The Royal Factory of Anisette is just about to

emphasize this tradition that goes back to 1700 as documents show. This production of

anisette is endorsed by Geographical Denomination from 1989.

If you are getting to Chinchón by car, forget about parking at Plaza Mayor. Driving is not

allowed on weekends or holidays either on the plaza or the surrounding streets. Besides,

the plaza becomes a bullfighting ring over summer months, which makes it very

advisable to use any of the parking lots in town. We used the one at the intersection of

Calle San Esteban Alta and Calle de Palacio. There is some significant landmarks close

by, as well as a lookout point from where to take pictures of the town from above.

The Hermitage of San Antón, very close to the parking lot, was built in the eighteenth century on an earlier eleventh century Romanesque hermitage. This was probably the oldest building in Chinchón, and was dedicated to San Esteban. The apse from the old church still remains.

The interior hosts three altarpieces: San Antón, San Esteban and Nuestra Señora de los Remedios.

Location: Plaza de San Antón. From the parking lot, with Calle Arco de Palacio behind, go along Calle San Esteban Alta to Plaza de San Antón for around 80 meters. From the hermitage we will go to Plaza de Palacio, from where we can visit three significant landmarks: the Nuestra Señora de la Asunción Church, the Lope the Vega Theater y the Torre del Reloj. To get there, walk back Calle San Esteban Alta to Calle Arco de Palacio, making a right here to descend to the Plaza de Palacio. Total route will be around 250 meters.

The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, former Church of the Compassion, was

begun in 1534 as a project under the guidance of Alonso de Cobarrubias and was

completed in 1626 after more than 48 years lying idle, with the project of Nicolás de

Vergara The Younger. The third Count of Chinchón hired the best masters for completion,

many of whom had worked on The Royal Site of El Escorial. The church was built of

masonry walls with visible traces of different styles throughout history: Gothic,

Plateresque, Renaissance and Baroque.

It was looted and set fire by French troops during the War of Independence, but restored in

1828. At a closer look, and despite having no tower, you will be amazed by the imposing

view of the church and its monumentality from Plaza de Chinchón.

In the main altarpiece is the painting of “The Assumption of the Virgin” painted by

Francisco de Goya in 1812 in response to a request from his brother Camilo, who was

chaplain of the church.

Location: Calle Arco de Palacio, 9.

The Lope de Vega Theater was built by the Society of Harvesters in 1891 on what was

the former Palace of the Counts of Chinchón destroyed during the War of the Spanish

Succession.

The theater was named after Lope de Vega as this was the palace where Lope de Vega was

hosted by the Counts of Chinchón when he wrote the comedy “The Coat of Arms of

Chaves de Villalba”.

The building shows Renaissance façade and the interior resembles an old corrala (building

with several floors of small flats on running balconies round a central courtyard). Holding

400 spectators, it has a magnificent front curtain with a painting attributed to Luis Muriel

showing scenes and allegories of the town.

Location: Plaza de Palacio, s/n.

The Clock Tower is just what remains from the old Church of Our Lady of Grace from

the fifteenth century.

The tower was restored several times through history. In the eighteenth century restoration

the clock was added and it was again restored after the French troops destroyed the church

and set fire to the tower during the War of Independence. The fact that the tower has no

church, and the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption has no tower, led to the saying:

“Chinchón has a church with no tower and a tower without church”.

Location: Calle de la Tahona.

The Hermitage of Our Lady of the Cave, located at the homonymous street, is a recent

construction. It was around late twentieth century or early twenty-first century that it

emerged as a neighbors initiative because of the profound devotion professed. It is a small

chapel built into the surrounding buildings that houses a carving of the Virgin and baby

Jesus. Her feast day is celebrated on the first Sunday of August. One of the gates from the

former town wall used to be close by the hermitage.

Location: Calle de la Cueva, 50. To get there, walk up Calle Arco de Palacio from Plaza de

Palacio to Calle de Vajuelo, turning right then. Turn right again onto Travesía de Vajuelo

(not to be confused with the street) to get to Calle de la Cueva. Walk along Calle de la

Cueva until you reach number 50; the last building on your left before the street leads into

Calle Infiernillo. The walk should be about 400 meters.

Not very far we find the Hermitage of Our Lady of Compassion, once the church from

the former Hospital of Our Lady of Compassion from the eighteenth century. It is a

Baroque style temple with a façade of brick. It consists of one sole nave that houses the

altarpiece with the image of Our Lady of Compassion. The paint of Saint Lucia above

dates back from the seventeenth century.

The church was closed to worship for many years due to confiscation of church properties

by the State in the nineteenth century. It reopens in 1906 and the Brotherhood of Our Lady

of Compassion is established. Her feast day is celebrated on the first Sunday of September.

Location: Plaza de los Hermanos Ortiz de Zárate. From where we left, walk on the same

direction to get to Plaza Hermanos Ortiz de Zárate. It is about a 150-meter walk.

The Plaza Mayor is the main center of Chinchón, and it was declared 4

th wonder of the

Autonomous Community of Madrid in 2008.

It is a classic medieval square with the first houses surround it with supporting columns

built in the fifteenth century, being totally enclosed in 1683, leaving gaps to allow

carriages and processions to pass through.

The plaza was in the beginning where livestock fairs took place. In 1499 the County

Council purchased one of the houses to hold their meetings which marked the

establishment of the City Hall on the same place where we see it today. The square is

made up of a collection of three-story buildings whose lintelled galleries and 234 wooden

balconies, called “windows” are supported by studs and footings. It is funny to mention

that the balconies’ owners may be different from the houses’ ones; there is therefore an

existing right-of-way in order for the balconies to be used when performances are

celebrated.

Numerous activities have been held in the Plaza Mayor, from makers, royal festivals and

proclamations, traveling theater shows, religious acts, movie sets (Chimes at Midnight

directed by Orson Welles was filmed here), to bullfights as the one that are still held over

feast season.

Location: To get to the Plaza from the previous Hermitage we should keep walking on

Calle de la Cueva as it leads into Calle Grande until reaching Plaza Mayor. It is a 300-

meter walk this time approximately. In case you want to try a different route you can

access Plaza Mayor through any of the following 5 streets: Puerta de la Villa, main

entrance, Morata, Mulillas, Grande and Barranco.

Once in the Plaza we see two water fountains. Fuente Arriba, shown in the picture, is the

one located at the top of the square. It is a former trough for animals turned into a water

fountain in 1970. The other one is inside the Tourist Information Office; our next

destination.

The Tourist Information Office is next to the City Hall. We can visit the other

aforementioned water fountain inside the grounds of the building that was a former old

washhouse.

This is a place not to be missed as you can get all sort of guides, brochures and some good

advice to visit Chinchón and its surroundings.

Location: Plaza Mayor, 6.

The Ethnological Museum “La Posada” is located in a former inn founded in the early

nineteenth century by Mr. Manuel Carrasco and his wife. As it happened to other inns in

Chinchón, the inn used to house reapers, mule drivers and people passing through. The

original layout of the space was respected and today the museum shows costumes and

lifestyles from the former residents of Chinchón. Through the many rooms we can see

utensils and tools used by farmers in their daily chores, as well as getting a sense of the

austerity of the houses of the time reflected on dark rooms, clothes, and everyday items.

We will see an irregular-shaped, arcaded courtyard as we walk in. The higher floors house

the owners’ apartments and rooms for wheat storage. Rooms were travelers were

accommodated were downstairs, as well as the kitchen and other rooms, and they all had

direct access from the courtyard. Stables and rooms to store firewood and farm tools were

located in the basement. In adjacent units, there are some barnyards and al old well from

which water was drawn with water wheels and dumped into a drinking trough for animals.

Location: Calle Morata, 5. It is one of the streets that leads to or begins at Plaza Mayor, on

the right side of the Tourist Information Office looking towards the square.

The House of the Chains is a Baroque building from the late seventeenth century. It was

the lodging place of King Philip V as he passed through Chinchón during the Spanish War

of Succession. Above its door there is a shield containing a hand holding a cross with the

inscription: “IHS – MARIA ABRAÇANDOME CON ESTA ME LIBRO DIOS DE LA

ENBIDIA” (IHS – Maria embraces me, God I liberate myself from envy).

Location: Plaza del Convento, 1. From the square, heading Calle de los Huertos and

walking for about 40 meters, it is just the first square we find on our left side.

The Augustinian Monastery, currently housing the “Parador Nacional de Turismo”

(National Hotel) is another religious building in town. The first Convent of the Order of

the Augustinians was founded towards the end of the fifteenth century by Andrés Cabrera

y Beatriz de Bobadilla at a place close to the Castle of Chinchón. The present one was

built around 1626 by the Counts of Chinchón. The Convent was begun under the

patronage of Brother Zúñiga. It was converted into a center for humanistic studies over the

years, and operated during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries with chairs of Latin,

Grammar and Theology. In 1842 it became the Court of Law following Medizabal’s

confiscation of religious properties.

Location: Calle de los Huertos, 1. It is about 50 meters from the House of the Chains.

The building adjacent to the Convent is the Hermitage of Our Lady of the Rosary,

former convent church. It is a Baroque style building and consists of one sole nave with

nine side chapels that were used as cells for prisoners during the Spanish Civil War (1936-

1939). The church houses remarkable brightly-colored frescoes in Baroque style in the

interior that have been preserved in part of the transept. The high altarpiece, also in

Baroque style, was set fire in October 1929 without damaging the Virgin wood carving.

The temple is dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary from 1846, being her festivity

celebrated on the third weekend of September.

Location: Plaza del Convento, annexed to the Parador de Turismo.

Our next stop is the Hermitage of San Roque, patron saint of the city. Its construction

dates back to the first half of the sixteenth century. It is a Baroque style building made of

bricks and masonry walls. Inside the temple there are two altarpieces; one with the image

of Our Lady of Grace, patron saint of the city, and the other one being a carving of the

Saint dating back to 1716. It is worth noting a magnificent flag from 1744, embroidered

with the Saint’s image in gold and silver.

Location: Plazuela de San Roque. Less than 300 meter from the Hermitage of Our Lady of

the Rosary. Keep walking down Calle de los Huertos to reach the Plazuela.

Further on, we get to Casa de Cultura “Manuel Alvar”, also known as “El Matadero”

(The Slaughterhouse), as it is located on the former slaughterhouse premises. It currently

houses the Tourist Interpretation Center of Chinchón. Following the visit, we highly

recommend to check this Center where displays, media stands, a projection room, and

photo exhibits take us around the city’s history, culture, architecture, nature, festivities and

distinguished figures.

Location: Calle de Los Huertos, 36. Walk down the street for about 100 meters from the

Hermitage of San Roque.

The Convent of the Order of St. Clare is just next to the Center of Interpretation. The

Convent was founded by the fifth Count of Chinchón, Francisco Faustino Fernández de

Cabrera y Bobadilla, and the works started in 1597 under the project of Nicolás de Vergara

el Mozo, leading master of the Cathedral and Archdiocese of Toledo. Prominent

stonework masters that worked at the Royal Site of El Escorial took part in the

construction of the Convent: Juan de Bozarriz, Juan de Heras, Pedro de Pedrosa, Pedro de

Pontones and Pedro del Carpio. The works were supervised by Father Fray Antonio de

Villacastín and the master Pedro Sánchez, both confident of Mr. Diego Fernández de

Cabrera, third Count of Chinchón.

The Convent Church was built after the Herrera model and it is in the form of a Latin

cross. In the interior, the nave consists of three sections of Tuscan style columns without

any side chapels, with a barrel vault with windows and half-point arches. The church was

restored in 1995, installing the Renaissance altarpiece that it has today, taken from the

former Convent of the Mother of God in Toledo, which replaced the Baroque altarpiece

destroyed during the Spanish Civil War. The most interesting part of the Convent is the

cloister, consisting of two floors with their galleries, and supported by half-point arches.

The mausoleum of the fifth Count of Chinchón has been preserved in the choir, inside the

cloistered Convent.

Location: Calle de los Huertos. It is located right opposite the Casa de “Manuel Alvar”

seen above.

Fuente Pata, formerly known as Fuente Perico Pata, is a historic site in Chinchón where

judicial representatives and trustees used to take their oaths under a tree. The water

fountain was rebuilt in 1878 by the Society of Harvesters. It was also used as shelter of

cattle and people around town.

Location: GPS coordinates: 40.12837, -3.43286 (40º7´42.1314”, 3º25´58.2954”).

From the Convent, take Calle de la Fuente Pata and follow it for around 1,300 meters until

reaching the fountain.

The Counts’ Castle, one of the landmarks of Chinchón, lies on a hill in the southern part

of the town. The present castle was preceded by an earlier castle built at the end of the

fifteenth century, which was destroyed by commoners in 1520. The Cabrera family, to

whom the Chinchón estate was transferred, used to live in that former castle. The Third

Count of Chinchón built on the ruins of this earlier castle the current one between 1590

and 1598. The War of the Spanish Succession took their toll on the castle, and it will be set

fire and looted in 1808, during the War of Independence, by the Polish Brigade under the

command of a French Marshall. Parts of the remaining materials of the castle were used to

fix roads and houses. The last mission of the castle was housing a liquor factory.

The castle is built on a slope, and consists of two quadrangular bodies. The dimensions of

the bigger one are 58X55 m, being this one the main body. The castle has cylindrical

turrets, one at each corner. The main rooms where located in the northwestern side of the

fortress, where the kitchen equipped with a big chimney also was. The Homage Tower,

divided into three sections and crowned by four slate capitals was on that same corner. The

castle comprises an inner courtyard with several vaults and cisterns underneath. While the

external walls are built on masonry, openings and moldings are made in ashlar work. It is

worth noting the carved stone cornice forming a double chain. The entrance, on the

southeastern side, consists of a half point arch within a lintelled frame, both in ashlar work.

The bridge that crosses the moat surrounding the fortress is one sole arch where the

wooden raising gangway rests. The entrance door gives way to a domed chamber from

where the parade ground is reached. The Counts’ coat of arms can be seen above the door.

Location: Calle del Castillo s/n. From the Convent of the Order of St. Clare continue along

Calle de la Ronda del Mediodía, for around 500 meters, until reaching The Counts’ Castle.

Valquejigoso is a recreation area with pines and fountains that was declared Forest Park in

1998. During the 1950’s it was one of the so-called educational forest reserves aimed at

teaching nature to students and how to respect it.

The laundry tube in the picture was restored in the same year the area was declared Forest

Park. It was one of the places where laundry used to take place, drying clothes in the sun

or by the fireplace afterwards. The tree by the laundry place is a horse chestnut.

Location: GPS Coordinates: 40.12682, -3.42593 (40º7´36.552”, 3º25´33.348”).

Just before getting to the Castle, the path on the left (south) will take us to Valquejigoso

Children’s area about 200 meters ahead through a tree-lined way. About 150 meters ahead

you find a fork with a sign that says “Parque Forestal Valquejigoso”. If you turn left, the

road ends in a parking area, and if you turn right you will get to the wooden area with

fountains and the laundry tube. We are at about 1,100 meters away from the starting point.

The Hermitage of the Cerca (fence) is one of those temples that survived to this day from

all the ones once existing in Chinchón, and one of the most recent ones. It was built on one

of the gates from the former city wall; the Gate of Conception or Gate of the Fence. The

Virgen de la Cerca festivity is celebrated on the last Sunday of August.

Location: Calle de la Cerca, 20. From the Counts’ Castle, continue along Calle de la

Ronda del Mediodía turning then left to see the hermitage.

Hermitage of St. Anne is another of those temples still remaining. It was built with

masonry in the eighteenth century and it became the cemetery chapel in the nineteenth

century, where it lays and from where our next route, Fuentes de Valdezarza, starts.

Location: Calle de Santa Ana s/n. It is about 1 km from the previous hermitage. Walk

along Calle de la Ronda del Mediodía around 500 meters until reaching M311 Madrid

Road. Turn left at this point and continue for about 400 meters, taking then the detour to

the right where the trail forks in three directions. Pick the one on the left until reaching

Hermitage of St. Anne 100 meters ahead.

The Valdezarza Fountains are located by the ancient resting place for shepherds. There

are three fountains, two of which are dated in the nineteenth century, and one of them in a

very good condition. The picture shows the central fountain.

Location: GPS Coordinates: 40.14642, -3.40851 (40º8'47.1114", 3º24'30.636"). From the

previous hermitage, follow the trail running parallel to the cemetery wall to the right. It is a

950-meter walk to get to the fountains approximately. At about 200 meters down the trail,

you will enjoy nice panoramic views, to decent a steep trail at about 400 meters.

Cattle was left over night at the ancient resting place for shepherds, where there is also a

trough and a fountain. The area has today a recreational use, and it is where families and

groups of friends barbecue when the weather is nice.

Location: GPS Coordinates: 40.14822, -3.40765 (40º8'53.592", 3º24'27.5394"). Leaving

the fountains behind, and about 200 meters ahead, we reach to the resting place for

shepherds.

The Hermitage of San Galindo is practically in ruins nowadays, and has a private

construction attached.

The hermitage is at about 6.5-km distance from Chinchón, crossing the Tajuña River by

the bridge built during the reign of Carlos III (pictured right).

Across the river, at about 200 meters on your right, we find the Lagoon of San Galindo. To

get there, take the last detour on your right (east – northeast) before reaching the hermitage

(seen on the map attached before the glossary).

Location: GPS Coordinates: 40.17441, -3.47753 (40º10'27.876", - 3º28'39.1074"). Exit the

roundabout where the M-311 and M-404 roads converge, together with Calle Morata de

Tajuña. Take M-311, and at GPS Coordinates 40.15202, -3.43162 (40º9'7.272", -

3º25'53.832") take the detour on your left, at about 1.1 km from the roundabout. At

another 1.1 km ahead, take the trail on your left at the fork, and follow along for about 3.9

km until reaching the Tajuña River. Cross the bridge and go ahead for about 300 meters to

reach the hermitage; do not take any of the paths off your right. It you wish to get to the

aforementioned lagoon, take the second trail on your right (east – northeast), considering

the trail that runs parallel to the river and right after the bridge as the first one.

Overlooking the Tajuña Valley, and about 9.1 km from the town of Chinchón, we find the

fifteenth-century Casasola Castle. The castle was built with masonry and has triangular

shape. It is fairly deteriorated and remains in private hands.

It was a secret hiding place for politicians and the military in favor of the proclamation of

King Alfonso XII during the I Spanish Republic.

Location: GPS Coordinates: 40.16347, -3.48068 (40º9'48.4914", 3º28'50.448"). Starting

from the roundabout where M-404 and Calle Abapiés converge, take M-404 until reaching

the trail on your right at about 6.8 km; GPS Coordinates: 40.15188, -3.50031

(40º9'6.7674", -3º30'1.1154"). Follow along this trail for about 2.3 km to reach the trail

that leads to the castle. The picture shown above was taken right before the no-entry signs

as we could not contact the castle owners.

The Laguna de San Juan covers a wetland area of 40 hectares (four hundred thousand

square meters) and has a triangular shape. Situated on the left margin of the Tajuña

River, the lagoon fresh water comes from underground filtrations, rain and overflows

from the river. Surrounded by reeds, rushes and taray trees, it is an ideal habitat for

water fowl.

The lagoon is the water source for different types of birds, and it is the ecosystem of

three threatened species: marsh harriers, Egyptian vultures and pilgrim hawks. Other

species of birds found in the lagoon are the stone curlew, the bustard, the black-winged

stilt, the grey heron, the chalk-browed mockingbird, the Eurasian coot, different types of

ducks and the Cetti´s warbler. Flocks of reed buntings and common starlings use the

lagoon cottonwood trees, ash trees, elm trees, willow trees and taray trees to nest.

Several types of fish swim in their waters, such as common barbels, the squalius

pyrenaicus, the common carp and the gobio. There are also amphibians such as the natrix

maura, the giant tortoise, green frogs and toads; mammals such as wild boars, badgers

and wolves can also be spotted.

The Fauna Refuge of San Juan was converted into a protected area of the Community of

Madrid in 1991, and it is devoted to preserving, restoring and improving the fauna and

flora. Guide your visit to this beautiful setting taking the advice from one of the

informational panels at the park: “Do your part by leaving no trace after visiting”.

Location: GPS Coordinates: 40.14170, -3.51647 (40º8'30.12", 3º30'59.2914"). Starting

from the same roundabout we started off when visiting the Casasola Castle, go along M-

404 for about 6.8 km. to take the detour on your left at GPS Coordinates 40.15069, -

3.49858 (40º9'2.4834", -3º29'54.8874"). We will go for less than 2 km along this trail until

reaching the lagoon parking area. Park here and start you visit. The other option is just

taking the route to Casasola Castle and the Laguna de San Juan at once. In fact, both

routes are marked in yellow on the map attached.

Source: http://www.unaventanadesdemadrid.com/chinchon.html by Lourdes Morales

Farfán.